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Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire is Fingolfin_Noldor's nation. = General Information = General Statistics *Population: 55 Million *Gross Domestic Product: 2.5 Trillion (as of 2008) , 2.92 Trillion (as of 2018) *Currency: Solidus (s), Solidi (p) *Member of CATO Government Monarchy The Government is that of a constitutional monarchy, with the Emperor of Byzantium being the head of not only of state, and the commander in chief, and also exercises duties in the Orthodox church. The Ecumenical Patriarch is head of the Orthodox Church and is the Emperor’s spiritual adviser. The Emperor however believes in free spirited worship and will not impose his will on the people, and he will also hold back with a tight leash any of the religious radicals. He is a firm believer of Science and its most steadfast patron. The Emperor has a court of advisors appointed by the Senate. The Emperor has control over the Defence and Foreign Ministries and as such commands the Armed Forces of the Empire, as previous Emperors of the Roman Empire have. The Emperor is served by two Exarchs; one serves as the Foreign Policy Adviser and has powers of a Foreign Minister, while the other serves as the Military Advser and has powers of a Defense Minister. The Emperor has a Chief Adviser who serves in as a Chief of Staff. The current Foreign Minister is the Exarch Decius, and the Defense Minister is Exarch Selenov. Basilleus is the current Chief Adviser. Senate The Senate is elected by the people and has legislative powers to decide domestic policy and to enact laws. Laws, however, only come into effect only after the Emperor has approved the said laws. The Senate has control over rest of the government ministries, such as Finance, Health, Education, Interior, Law, Environment, Science and Technology, and Trade and Industry. Military and foreign policy remain the purview of the Emperor, as it has always has been. During wartime however, the Emperor has the powers to take over the entire government. Typically both Emperor and Senate try to maintain a cordial relationship and are heavily involved in discussions of the state although, as always, disagreements will inevitably occur. Judiciary The Judiciary is independent and its independence enshrined in the Constitution, though the Byzantine Emperor has powers to override a court's judgment but this power is rarely ever used in modern times. The Supreme Court is composed of 12 Judges, appointed by the Senate and the Emperor, often in a 50/50 arrangement. The Laws of Byzantium are considered to be among the oldest in the world, dating as far back as the Theodosian Codex and the Justinian Codex. The current law follows the Marcellius Codex, which was formulated by the Emperor Marcellius in the 18th Century. Relgion The Ecumenical Patriarch is the spiritual leader for Orthodox Catholics across the world. Jerusalem and Mecca represent great importance to Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Current Religion Demographics: *80% Orthodox Catholics *15% Muslim *4% Judaism. *1% Others Racial composition Much inter-marrying took place in the Byzantine Empire between Latins, Greeks and Slavs over the last few centuries. To some extent, there is no true Greek, Slav, or Latin any more. Current Racial Demographics *70% Greek/Slavic/Latin *4% Jew *24% Kurd/Arab *2% Others Themes The Empire is divided into 9 Themes, and each is centered around a regional capital. The Constantinople Theme overlooks the eastern half of Northern Greece to the Balkans, the Thessaloniki Theme overlooks the western half of Northern Greece to the Balkans, the Athenian Theme covers all of Southern Greece. The Western Anatolia Theme is centered at Nikea, the Central Anatolia Theme at Ikonium, while the Western Anatolia Theme is centered at Antioch. Jerusalem and Arabia are consolidated under the Syrian Theme. The Ani theme is centered at the eastern port city of Ani and includes cities such as Trepizond. Economy The Economy of the Byzantine Empire stands as of 2008, 2.5 trillion Solidi. The economy is well diversified, with a high concentration of high technology industries, such as electronics, communications, aerospace, ship building, precision manufacturing etc.; a strong all-rounded technology base. There is also a strong service and transportation sector, owing to the long legacy of trade in the Empire, and the emergence of banking in the 16th century. The financial industry in Byzantium is reasonably strong, with Constantinople one of the top financial centers of the world. The Constantinople Stock Exchange is one of the largest in the world, with a large volume of share trades a day. The Constantinople Oil Futures Trade, Energy Futures, Carbon Futures are also notable trading markets. Social Policy Taxes Taxes in Byzantium are typically about 20-35%. Taxes are progressive, and it goes to service the government budget. Taxes also goes to fund a person's retirement fund, of which is proportional to how much taxes the person has paid prior to retirement. However, should a person's tax payments fall below a certain level, the individual is expected to provide services to the nation even after retirement. This may be in the form of a civil service in the militia, or perhaps in a clerical department. Corporate taxes are similarly scaled from 20-35% and are progressive. Welfare The Government of Byzantium expects every citizen to serve the nation productively, and as such, even if one is unemployed, he must not only be actively seeking a job, he must render services to the government, be it serving in the militia, national service in the military or work in the police force or any other job in the government. In return, the person will receive a salary from the government. Every citizen pays for his retirement fund through taxes, and the government will grant an interest on the taxes paid. History = Imperial Byzantine Military = Overview One of the oldest standing military in the world, the Imperial Byzantine Military has undergone many transformations in its millennia long existence. It however retains the old Roman adaptability and receptiveness to new ideas and does not hesitate innovating on its own if required or adopting foreign ideas. In general, funding of the military is pegged at 10-15% of the economy. Typically it is 10%, and it is only ramped to 15% when it is required. Imperial Byzantine Army Imperial Byzantine Air Force Imperial Byzantine Navy Imperial Space Defence Command Imperial Border Guards Category:Nations Category:Old Continent Nations Category:CATO Nations Category:Player-Character Nations